Meet Tim Pinkham of Agave Restaurant in Grant Park and Cabbagetown

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tim Pinkham.

Tim, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started off in front of the house in 1999 working mainly as a server or bartender in many of the most popular restaurants in Atlanta. Through that I was given an amazing opportunity to learn about food, wine, etc. & what it took to take those things and create an experience, I eventually landed at Agave where, over the course of a few years, worked my way from server to manager to GM & eventually a partner.

I never had the “dream of one day owning my own restaurant” Instead I realized quickly that this industry, with its fast pace and never-ending set of new problems that need immediate solutions, was something I was geared for and actually found thrilling.

Over the years it’s been extremely rewarding to get to share all I have learned with the new groups of servers, bartenders, etc. that are constantly coming on the scene and play a small part in something much bigger than myself.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
There is nothing smooth about owning a small business, especially a restaurant. I’ve heard many say you’d have to be crazy to get into this business, and I would agree you have to have crazy passion and the kind of personality that thrives in a controlled chaos environment.

You are literally putting on a Broadway show every night, only the script is constantly changing and everyone is a critic.

The back stage you are running around, shouting out directions, correcting problems, and making last minute adjustments so that onstage everything looks clean, polished, & well-choreographed.

But when you pull it off and get the standing ovation at the end, there’s really nothing like it.

I would say the biggest challenge is keeping your team motivated every day to perform and ensure your vision for what you want the guest to actually experience is, in fact, being executed at the table.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Agave Restaurant story. Tell us more about the business.
We are an eclectic southwestern eatery & tequila bar with a full bar & over 100 blue agave tequilas.

All our food is delivered fresh daily, prepared from scratch and cooked to order. We ship in red & green chile from New Mexico and incorporate spices & chiles into nearly all of our preparations giving each dish bold flavors.

We keep it simple & creative and let the food & flavors speak for themselves.

Over our 16+ year history, I guess you could say we are known primarily for our vibe. We are serving amazing margaritas, and festive cuisine in a high energy dining room by an enthusiastic staff. The food is always consistent, the service flows flawlessly, & everyone is genuinely happy you are here.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
When we started, the Cabbage town/Grant Park area was still developing into what it is today and we were really the only restaurant around. It was a pioneer venture setting up shop not really knowing if people would find us, enjoy us, and come back with friends.

Since then we’ve taken a direct hit by a tornado, survived several floods, made it through the gas crisis, and a recession or two and came out stronger every time And we owe it all to the best customers on the planet continuing to support us and show up night after night. We feel very lucky every time we open our doors.

Contact Info:

• Address: 242 boulevard S.E.
• Website: agaverestaurant.com
• Phone: 404 588 0006
• Email: Agaveatlanta@gmail.com
• Instagram: instagram/agaverestaurant
• Facebook: facebook/agaverestaurant
• Twitter: twitter/agaverestaurant